This year I’ve been able to do a lot of deep dives into books of the Old Testament and have found new appreciation for them.
Something that I have always struggled with whether in school or learning things on my own, is retaining information. I’ll finish a book, absolutely love it, and two months later I could barely tell you what it was about. In regards to the bible, I’ve started to view this as a blessing. What a gift it is to get to read something with fresh eyes each time.
A book that I have fallen in love with is Ecclesiastes. From the wavy underlines and scribbled margin notes I can tell that I’ve read the book before, yet I barely remembered it. About a week ago, I opened up the book again, began reading and was immediately captivated.
The majority of the book is a picture of the authors struggle and contemplation of the meaning of life. It addresses thoughts and issues that the majority of us face, and in fact moral dilemmas that keep some people from giving their lives to Christ.
The second verse of the chapter incorporates a sobering phrase that is liberally repeated throughout the majority of the book: “Meaningless! Meaningless! says the teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
Its honest. It’s an honest appraisal of life and I love it. I’ll let you read it yourself, but it goes on to explain his journey of getting and trying everything under the sun, and literally none of it proving to provide satisfaction.
And then he notes; “I have seen the burden God had laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11)
We weren’t designed for this world. The only remedy for our insatiable hearts is to rest in the Lord.
This is why I love this book. It describes a person who has everything they could ever dream of and yet is deeply unsatisfied with the world. His heart will not rest until it rests in the Lord. What we get is the gift of life on earth and to live it in communion with the Father.
The 12 chapters of this book conclude with this verse: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
What’s the purpose of this blog? Am I selling you to the book of Ecclesiastes? Am I reinforcing the beautiful truth of seeking the Lord and finding joy in Him amidst the monotony of life? I really am not sure myself why I wrote this. I just love the book. All I know is that is resonated with me deeply, and I haven’t been able to stop talking to people around me about it since I read it.
Maybe that’s it, that’s the point of this blog. I want to tell you that the bible is beautiful. The bible is the LIVING WORD. That’s insane. The bible has the entire range of human emotion. Every question you could have is addressed, you just need to look. The bible is simultaneously not about us in the slightest and yet also completely for us.
I can’t explain the excitement in me as I am writing this. The bible is the most historically accurate book of all time. It’s proven. That’s insane. The more you read it, the more you find Him. The more you read it, the more you see that He has found you.
That’s it, that’s the point. The bible is incredible and I want ever human on earth to experience God through it.
THE LIVING WORD OF GOD!! COME ON!! This is so good! May we all have a refreshed hunger for the Lord and His Word.